:00:00. > 3:59:59Adebowale show nod remorse. That is all from us. Now we join our news
:00:00. > :00:00.teams where Hello, welcome to Look North. In the
:00:07. > :00:09.programme tonight: They're supposed to deal with accidents and
:00:10. > :00:13.emergencies. But the NHS says nearly half the people turning up at our
:00:14. > :00:23.A departments have little ` or nothing ` wrong with them. If you
:00:24. > :00:28.need to come and see as we will see you. But if you could all and see
:00:29. > :00:33.someone else it would be appreciated.
:00:34. > :00:37.Clearing up... Again. The west of the region suffers power cuts and
:00:38. > :00:39.road closures as the latest winter storm blasts through.
:00:40. > :00:42.Wrapping up Middlesbrough ` the community appeal to help keep
:00:43. > :00:45.homeless people warm this Christmas. And by appointment to... Just about
:00:46. > :00:48.everyone. The master craftsman who's been producing some of the most
:00:49. > :00:53.sought`after guitars in the world for the last 50 years.
:00:54. > :00:55.In sport, what Sunderland boss Gus Poyet thinks of being drawn against
:00:56. > :00:57.Manchester United in the League Cup semifinal.
:00:58. > :01:00.And why this former Magpies star has become the proud owner of one of our
:01:01. > :01:17.Northern League clubs. The clue is in the name ` 'Accident
:01:18. > :01:20.and Emergency' department. But according to the National Health
:01:21. > :01:23.Service, nearly half of the hundreds of thousands of people turning up to
:01:24. > :01:27.A departments in the North East and Cumbria don't need to be there.
:01:28. > :01:30.Some don't require emergency care. Some don't need any treatment at
:01:31. > :01:34.all. With over`stretched emergency staff gearing up for another winter
:01:35. > :01:39.on the edge, the NHS is asking people to think twice before they go
:01:40. > :01:41.to A But have they any choice? Charlie Charlton spent a busy
:01:42. > :01:50.afternoon at Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Arriving at A
:01:51. > :01:53.by ambulance. At this time of year, emergency admissions are going
:01:54. > :01:58.through the roof. But knowing where to go for help is often confusing.
:01:59. > :02:05.Bill Kingston had a fall. You've knocked yourself out... Then you've
:02:06. > :02:09.got to be thinking like a physician. You've got to think who would treat
:02:10. > :02:14.you best. Who you should get in touch with. In theory, it's
:02:15. > :02:18.straightforward. If you're ill, and you come to the Queen Elizabeth
:02:19. > :02:22.Hospital, you're at a crossroads. On one side you've got the Accident and
:02:23. > :02:25.Emergency department. On the other it's the walk`in centre. For some,
:02:26. > :02:31.A is the very first port of call ` often it need not be. There are
:02:32. > :02:34.other options. I would have a thought about whether there is
:02:35. > :02:38.something you can do for yourself before coming to A If you've got
:02:39. > :02:41.some paracetamol then take some or go to the local pharmacists. Even
:02:42. > :02:50.your GP. We'll obviously see you, but if you could possibly find
:02:51. > :02:55.someone else to see... But the reality is quite different. Across
:02:56. > :02:59.the North East and Cumbria last year, more than 800,000 people went
:03:00. > :03:04.to A Of them, nearly 130,000 were sent home without any treatment at
:03:05. > :03:08.all. More than 240,000 were treated but they didn't need to be seen by
:03:09. > :03:12.an emergency doctor. Even when patients do know the alternatives,
:03:13. > :03:19.it seems they could still wind up in A We came to go to the walk`in
:03:20. > :03:25.centre. But we didn't realise you can no longer just go in there. You
:03:26. > :03:30.have to go to A and register here. Then they tell you the best place to
:03:31. > :03:34.go? Yes. You could always go to the family doctor when you get ill? It
:03:35. > :03:42.takes a fortnight to get an appointment. I was that bad, so in
:03:43. > :03:48.pain, that I couldn't go to the doctor's. I went to the walk`in
:03:49. > :03:51.centre then they sent me here to A via a wheelchair. Winter is already
:03:52. > :03:56.here and it's clear that NHS bosses still have a long way to go to get
:03:57. > :04:07.their message across. A is for emergencies only. So, a lot of
:04:08. > :04:10.people using A who either don't need treatment at all or who could
:04:11. > :04:13.be seen elsewhere. Earlier I spoke to Dr Daniel Cowie, who's a GP and
:04:14. > :04:17.spokesman for Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group. I asked him
:04:18. > :04:23.just how much strain the A service is being put under, and what they
:04:24. > :04:28.can do about it. It's a very challenging time, especially over
:04:29. > :04:33.winter. There are increasing demands on services. It's occasionally
:04:34. > :04:40.difficult for people to know where to go. But we hope to give very
:04:41. > :04:44.clear messages for patients. Depending on what the problem is,
:04:45. > :04:47.and the level of urgency, I think there need to be clear messages
:04:48. > :04:51.about promoting self care ` making sure patients and families are aware
:04:52. > :05:02.of how to manage common ailments and injuries. Having a stock of
:05:03. > :05:10.medicines at home. If you're still uncertain, don't be afraid to call
:05:11. > :05:15.your GP or visit a local pharmacist. If you're still struggling, we also
:05:16. > :05:22.have the 111 service. We can give advice and tell you where to go. In
:05:23. > :05:26.the report a lady said she thought about making an appointment with her
:05:27. > :05:31.GP but was told it would be a two week wait. I think that's a common
:05:32. > :05:36.complaint. It is. We hear a lot of that. What patients have to
:05:37. > :05:40.understand is that if you need to be seen then you should ring your GP
:05:41. > :05:47.practice and let them know it's an emergency appointment. There's been
:05:48. > :05:51.a lot of work been done in the last year, especially within the region,
:05:52. > :05:54.to try to improve access to primary care. Not only just increasing
:05:55. > :06:00.numbers of consultations but also what they could be like. Telephone
:06:01. > :06:07.triage? Emergency appointments, or people added in as extras? They
:06:08. > :06:11.could be seen by nurse practitioners? Even if you've been
:06:12. > :06:14.put off previously, I would still encourage ringing your GP practice
:06:15. > :06:31.to explain that it's an urgent appointment. So, should people stay
:06:32. > :06:35.away and leave Accident and Emergency staff to get on with their
:06:36. > :06:44.job? You can join the debate on the Look North Facebook page. The
:06:45. > :06:47.address is on screen now. Storms have been lashing Cumbria for
:06:48. > :06:50.the second time in a fortnight, with a warning of more bad weather to
:06:51. > :06:54.come. Around 2,500 homes were without power for most of the night
:06:55. > :06:57.after winds blew down electricity lines. Conditions were so bad,
:06:58. > :07:01.engineers had to abandon work until the gales eased. There was also
:07:02. > :07:05.disruption on the county's roads. Police had to deal with more than 60
:07:06. > :07:12.weather`related incidents. Graham Moss reports. The high winds ripped
:07:13. > :07:14.the roof from this disused hotel. The debris blocked the main route
:07:15. > :07:20.between North and West Cumbria ` the A595, a few miles north of
:07:21. > :07:24.Cockermouth. The West of the county was hit by the worst of the weather.
:07:25. > :07:28.Fallen trees blocked the route between Frizington and Whitehaven. A
:07:29. > :07:32.similar problem closed the A6 between Hackthorpe and Shap. There
:07:33. > :07:36.were overturned vehicles causing disruption on the M6. The winds also
:07:37. > :07:40.blew down power lines, leaving around 2,500 homes without
:07:41. > :07:45.electricity. Engineers had to hold off efforts to restore supplies
:07:46. > :07:49.until the winds eased. What a difference a day makes. In the Lake
:07:50. > :07:53.District today we've got hail showers and biting cold. But looking
:07:54. > :07:59.to the forecast for the coming days, the high winds and heavy rain are
:08:00. > :08:02.set to return. The Environment Agency and The Met Office are
:08:03. > :08:07.forecasting gale force winds over Friday into Saturday. That's
:08:08. > :08:11.sweeping with it a band of rain. We're prepared on the ground. We're
:08:12. > :08:17.looking at our flood defences. We're expecting disruption. If people are
:08:18. > :08:22.concerned they can find more information on our website. They can
:08:23. > :08:28.also follow us on Twitter. You can sign up for warning as well. `
:08:29. > :08:31.warnings. With rivers already swollen and ground waterlogged,
:08:32. > :08:38.further heavy rain is the last thing needed. But the forecast is for more
:08:39. > :08:41.to come before Christmas. A 14`year`old girl has been found
:08:42. > :08:44.dead in County Durham. Police were called after receiving a report of a
:08:45. > :08:48.sudden death at an address in Consett on Tuesday. They say there
:08:49. > :08:50.don't appear to be any suspicious circumstances. An inquest into
:08:51. > :08:56.Danielle Formosa's death will open tomorrow.
:08:57. > :08:59.A former police chief, accused of intimidation, has suggested the
:09:00. > :09:02.claims are a 'pack of lies'. Dave McLuckie is on trial for allegedly
:09:03. > :09:06.trying to "soften up" a potential witness in a corruption enquiry. The
:09:07. > :09:08.former chair of Cleveland Police Authority denies the charge. Our
:09:09. > :09:15.News Correspondent Peter Harris reports. This is a case that's heard
:09:16. > :09:19.claims the former police chief referred to himself as the sheriff.
:09:20. > :09:22.Dave McLuckie, the former chairman of Cleveland Police Authority, is
:09:23. > :09:28.accused of intimidating a potential witness in a corruption enquiry.
:09:29. > :09:35.That witness is a taxi driver friend of Mr McLuckie. It's been said he
:09:36. > :09:40.told his friend 'you don't know what I could do'. He took that as a
:09:41. > :09:45.warning, or a threat. The prosecution today alleged that was
:09:46. > :09:50.part of an attempt to soften him up. Mr McLuckie says that's all a pack
:09:51. > :09:54.of lies. He says the real reason he went to see his friend was to warn
:09:55. > :09:59.him of rumours that he was running an unlicenced taxi and that it could
:10:00. > :10:02.lead to prosecution. Giving evidence, Dave McLuckie told the
:10:03. > :10:08.jury 'I had no desire to intimidate him and never did'. As for claims he
:10:09. > :10:12.told Mr Blyth "you don't know what I can do" ` they're false, he said.
:10:13. > :10:17.And as for calling himself the sheriff, he said he never called
:10:18. > :10:20.himself the sheriff to anyone. Dave McLuckie denies a charge of witness
:10:21. > :10:34.intimidation and the court resumes tomorrow.
:10:35. > :10:36.Paul Torday, the Northumberland`based author, has
:10:37. > :10:40.died. He turned to writing in his late 50s and wrote several novels.
:10:41. > :10:44.He made his name with the novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. That
:10:45. > :10:48.sold more than half a million copies in the UK alone, and was made into a
:10:49. > :10:51.film starring Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas and Emily Blunt. Mr
:10:52. > :10:54.Torday, who was 67, lived near Hexham.
:10:55. > :10:57.Plans are being developed which could see a former Roman Catholic
:10:58. > :10:59.Seminary become a new college of Durham University. Under the
:11:00. > :11:02.proposals, the University will occupy parts of Ushaw College and
:11:03. > :11:08.manage its internationally`renowned library and culturally`important
:11:09. > :11:14.collections. The college has been on its current site since 1808 and was
:11:15. > :11:18.a seminary until June 2011. Now, the weather might be blowing
:11:19. > :11:21.mild and cold at the moment, but 400 winter coats, jumpers and fleeces
:11:22. > :11:24.have been handed out to homeless people on Teesside. It's all part of
:11:25. > :11:28.the 'Wrap Up Middlesbrough' appeal, organised by the town's council to
:11:29. > :11:31.offer help and support to those in need. All the donations came from
:11:32. > :11:39.local people, as Stuart Whincup reports. This man says he doesn't
:11:40. > :11:43.want to come here but he has no choice. When you ask people for
:11:44. > :11:49.spare change they look at you and think you're a drug addict. I tell
:11:50. > :11:52.them the truth about my situation. He spent six months sleeping on the
:11:53. > :11:57.streets, struggling with his drink and drug addiction. It was terrible.
:11:58. > :12:05.It was winter. The situation was awful. There wasn't much support.
:12:06. > :12:11.There was music, hot food and clothing. Dozens of people in need
:12:12. > :12:16.of help and support. Watching on was a Middlesbrough councillor, who was
:12:17. > :12:21.himself left homeless as a child. When I was 14 I came home from
:12:22. > :12:25.school one day and there was a note on the mantelpiece from my mother.
:12:26. > :12:28.It said we both had to get on with our lives. My dad was long gone.
:12:29. > :12:36.Within ten days a concerned neighbour let the authorities know I
:12:37. > :12:40.was living there on my own. It was boarded up, so I've been where some
:12:41. > :12:43.of these people are. Financial problems, domestic violence and drug
:12:44. > :12:48.addiction are common causes given for homelessness. In Middlesbrough,
:12:49. > :12:54.the authorities say there are hundreds of people sleeping at other
:12:55. > :12:58.houses on the floor or on the sofa. It's really sad in this day and age
:12:59. > :13:05.that we've got people in so much need. It feels like we're addressing
:13:06. > :13:10.the symptoms rather than the causes. However, it's really important that
:13:11. > :13:13.we do this. Few here are excited about Christmas. Their minds are
:13:14. > :13:29.occupied by where they'll be sleeping tonight. Lovely gesture.
:13:30. > :13:30.Coming up next, the craftsman with music at his fingertips.
:13:31. > :13:40.And bringing carol into the 21st century. Hip`hop
:13:41. > :13:47.hits the Cathedral! And join me for the weater.
:13:48. > :13:50.He made his first guitar 50 years ago, and since then he's been
:13:51. > :13:53.supplying bespoke instruments from a small Cumbrian workshop to some of
:13:54. > :13:56.the biggest names in the music business. `` weather. Now Roger
:13:57. > :14:00.Bucknall ` owner of Fylde Guitars in Penrith ` has published a book about
:14:01. > :14:12.his life's work and some of the unique guitars he's produced. Damian
:14:13. > :14:18.O'Neil's been to meet him. I made my first guitar when I was about nine.
:14:19. > :14:25.Just because I wanted one. I didn't know much about them. I wanted one
:14:26. > 0:07:29so I made one out of bits and pieces of plywood